mouthpieceexpress.com... what's your experience?

MDC

Has anyone else had a difficult experience with mouthpieceexpress.com? I've ordered from them many times, and as long as I was doing business with the robot, everything always went fine. But as soon as I placed an order requiring human intervention and a little judgment, I encountered the JV squad... and they don't seem to care to move up to varsity. Just wondering whether this is a one-off or their normal way of operating. I've always had such wonderful experiences with Phyllis Stork and everyone at ACB... maybe I'm spoiled.
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MDC
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Lawler PS51B
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Zeus Guarnerius C Trumpet
Stork Studio Master Mouthpieces

chuck in ny · Posted: Thu Jun 15, 2017 1:39 pm Post subject:

i ordered single pieces and everything was fine, then ordered a few at a time, returned several in a packet and was cheated out of refund on one, and no way of proving how many had been sent back. customer service was terrible talking to flunkies who could not resolve anything. it was the last time i ordered from them.
dillons or osmun are reputable as well as the fine stuff from flip oakes, stork, pickett and so forth.

Ed Hernandez · Posted: Thu Jun 15, 2017 1:44 pm Post subject:

Have ordered several times from and never had any trouble. Then again, it was always with the "robot" and not humans.
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Grits Burgh · Posted: Thu Jun 15, 2017 2:18 pm Post subject:

I had one "robot" order that went well. Since then, I have discovered some folks who participate on TH (Trent Austin, James R. New, Osmun , Dillons, Torpedo Bags, etc.). Nowadays, I try to steer my business to these guys. they have a real passion for instruments and treat their customers well - and they are nice people.

I'm also a big fan of supporting local businesses - unfortunately, it is getting hard for Mom and Pop music stores to stay in business. When I was a kid, a trip to Volkwein's Music in Pittsburgh was a huge treat. I spent hours there pouring over sheet music to buy. There's nothing like that near where I live in South Carolina.

Warm regards,
Grits
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dstdenis · Posted: Sat Jun 17, 2017 4:51 am Post subject:

I've bought from mouthpiece express many times, and I've been happy with their service.
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hvarf9 · Regular Member Joined: 20 Jun 2011 Posts: 19

I've made several purchases from the in the past -- mostly leadpipes and tuning slides. Almost every order has included an incorrect item or damaged item. When I have contacted them, they have never responded. Not once.

I've taken my business elsewhere.

jaysonr · Posted: Sat Jun 17, 2017 6:15 am Post subject:

I've made several purchases from them, and they've been consistent with all of the comments here. Some went really well, and some didn't. I tend to do business with Osmun or Dillon now. Also, they don't make you wait 2 weeks to have a throat opened, and they do better work.
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Brad361 · Posted: Sat Jun 17, 2017 1:38 pm Post subject:

I've bought a few things from them, both on line and via phone. Only problem I've had is it's tough to get them on the phone, other than that no problems.

Brad
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snichols · Posted: Sat Jun 17, 2017 2:17 pm Post subject:

I think I've found that mouthpiece prices are better at Dillons anyway. And getting work done, like throat or backbore, is cheaper at Osmun, I believe (and probably better quality).

chuck in ny · Posted: Sat Jun 17, 2017 6:22 pm Post subject:

when you support an outfit like osmun you are keeping an invaluable asset to trumpet players going.
you want a horn blueprinted at a fair price? cryo perhaps? this stuff doesn't happen at their skill level by accident, and there are not many places that work to that level.
they are our dream outfit, one of only several that give way more than you pay for.

Joshua712 · Regular Member Joined: 22 Jul 2016 Posts: 64

Lost $40 on a mouthpiece that was supposed to get refunded but never did

Justin_Smith · Posted: Wed Jun 21, 2017 8:51 am Post subject:

I have bought a few things from them, mostly small replacement parts. I have never had any issues. From what I have heard from other TH posters and friends, problems tended to occur if something was out of stock and backordered.
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bassguy · Veteran Member Joined: 25 May 2016 Posts: 336

I would definitely go through Dillon Music, even if there may be a longer wait for the desired mouthpiece to be ordered.

ME's a site is very hard to navigate through with an android. In January I wanted to know if ME had Wicks mouthpieces in stock, & specifucally whether the Wicks 4 FL is deeper than the Curry FLD (I wasnt asking for exact specs, just which is deeper!) Various emails & I never got a direct answer. I divulged that I'm a comeback player. Thus opened up a can of worms that diverted our discourse. He asked me what my trumpet was, & I had to explain why I had no intention of playing trumpet again. Then I got a trumpet lesson via email advising me to do lots of long tones & enharmonic slurs.

Finally I replied that after several emails he never responded to original inquiry "Do you carry Wicks mouthpieces, & is the 4FL deeper than the Curry 7 FLD?", & I asked him to just answer my questions instead of getting sidetracked. He then responded with sarcasm with the obvious intent of discouraging any further business & inquiries by replying, " I'm afraid I'm simply not smart enough for you ". Because I was blown off I gave him a really nasty email reply.

Late February I was ready to purchase 2 flugelhorn mouthpuwces, one shallow & one deep. Because I was in a big hurry to start playing, I made a purchase through ME of 4 Curry mouthpieces & kept only one, a Curry 7 FL. The 3 others were sent back at my expense, & ultimately MEs 2 day express shipping was deducted along with a 10% restocking fee for the others. I knew what to expect, agreed to those terms because I was impatient, so I have no problem with the deducted costs.

Soon after, because I was havng issues playing above the staff, I made another purchase if smaller diameter mouthpueces through ME, ordering an Curry 8.5 FLM & a 10.5 FL or FLM. I got a Series 600 10 instead of my 10.5. No mistake on my part as the invoice showed.. In numerous emails (all no replies) & through MEs site I pointed out the mistake, & offered to keep the 8.5 FL, send back the 7FL back in the same box with the 600 Series 10 (& absorb the shipping /reztocking fee) providing they just send me (free postage) a Curry 8.5 FL to match the 8.5 FLM. No reply just bounced emails. But I originally proposed that deal through the site when getting my RTA, & there were subsequent messages from me through their site. No reply, no acknowledgement of a potential mistake made on their part.

Giving up I sent the stuff back at my expense, but writing in the invoice their mistake & that they should not deduct shipping & restocking. They did anyway!

Dillon has employees who answer the phone, who are resoinsive & accountable. You also have a choice of economy shipping, as 2 day isn't mandatory. I wish I had been more patient & should have learned my lesson after the sarcastic response.

Also, if going through ME, consider eBay, as eBay monitors communication & can mediate or intervene. But Dillon is great!

utkwhite@gmail.com · New Member Joined: 15 Aug 2017 Posts: 10

Ive always had positive experiences with them.

cheiden · Posted: Mon Aug 28, 2017 1:50 pm Post subject:

Only minor problem I had was when I ordered a piece that was supposed to be in stock but wasn't. When I couldn't get a credible estimate on a ship date, I canceled and got it elsewhere.
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